Season 3 Spring 2026 Podcasts

 The Graddean discusses the key takeaways from the recently released  annual graduate enrollment and degrees report from the Council of  Graduate Schools. 

https://cgsnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CGS_GED-2025_Report_Final.pdf 

https://ncses.nsf.gov/ 

https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf25300# 

https://ncses.nsf.gov/surveys/earned-doctorates/2024 

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d22/tables/dt22_318.60.asp?current=yes 

https://cgsnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GED-2024-1.1.pdf 

https://grad-post.com/global-degree-production 

https://www.chronicle.com/author/karin-fischer 

https://share.google/RQJEssVxwRBzhG3pM 

Drs. Susan Fullerton and Mary Besterfield-Sacre give an overview of the Innovations in Graduate Education Project in the the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.

https://igehub.org/project/a-personalized-learning-model-for-stem-graduate-education/

www.cirtl.net

https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ745557

https://www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/cbe.13-08-0154

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Ft47566-000 

https://wiscience.wisc.edu/resources/faculty-staff-resources/entering-research-learning-assessment-erla/

https://us.utah.edu/learning-outcomes-assessment/blooms-taxonomy.php 

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/technology/diffusion-innovations

The Graddean gives his public comment on the proposed revisions to the Higher Education Act by the AHEAD committee, and how a quest for harmony, equality, and fairness puts advanced degree programs at risk. 

https://www.aei.org/profile/preston-cooper/

https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/higher-education-policy/negotiated-rulemaking-for-higher-education-2025-2026

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Big_Beautiful_Bill_Act

https://abcnews.go.com/US/inside-ghost-student-scam-identity-theft-steal-college/story?id=129359506

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/student-aid-policy/2026/01/22/high-stakes-policy-talks-shed-light-eds-playbook

https://www.ed.gov/media/document/ahead-proposed-accountability-reg-text-day-5-afternoon-final-113130.pdf

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-668.43

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-668.601

https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/assessment-of-us-doctoral-programs-released-offers-data-on-more-than-5-000-programs-nationwide

https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-reaches-consensus-historic-new-accountability-framework-and-concludes-higher-education-reform-rulemaking-sessions

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/part-668/section-668.2#p-668.2(b)

https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.aac5949

https://www.borianamiloucheva.com/uploads/1/3/9/2/139282486/bmv_opportunitycostphd.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Felix-Bittmann/publication/394980924_PhDs_and_Paychecks_Exploring_the_Financial_Returns_of_Doctoral_Education_in_Germany's_Workforce/links/68ae9cefd9261f6f51af21d3/PhDs-and-Paychecks-Exploring-the-Financial-Returns-of-Doctoral-Education-in-Germanys-Workforce.pdf

https://pseocoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/PSEO-Coalition_Debt-and-Earnings-in-Graduate-School-NEW.pdf

https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-reaches-consensus-historic-new-accountability-framework-and-concludes-higher-education-reform-rulemaking-sessions

https://web.archive.org/web/20250321010300/https:/sites.ed.gov/ous/files/2025/01/grad_borrowing_report-1.14.pdf

https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/myth-vs-fact-definition-of-professional-degrees

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/4LYo48Idu0b

https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm

Here are five new PhD programs for 2026 for you to consider.

https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-026-00088-9/index.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2026/01/29/hard-times-have-come-for-the-phd-degree/

https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-government-has-lost-more-10-000-stem-ph-d-s-trump-took-office 

https://sais.jhu.edu/academics/degree-programs/doctoral-programs/doctor-philosophy-phd

https://chicagomaroon.com/48307/news/uchicago-to-cut-some-ph-d-masters-admissions-for-2026-27/

https://www.bu.edu/cas/admissions/phd-mfa/apply/

https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2026/02/05/new-computational-biology-track-added-to-phd-graduate-program/ 

https://cs.nyu.edu/dynamic/phd/index/ 

https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2025/sph-debuts-new-phd-in-community-health-sciences/

https://www.gsas.columbia.edu/news/columbia-university-launches-groundbreaking-phd-program-african-american-and-african-diaspora 

Here are five things to consider before you decide which one to accept.

1. Visit the campus. As I mentioned in Episode 23, where you go to grad school matters as much as what you major in. If a campus visit is offered, take it. If not, go there on your own. You might be surprised about what you find.

2. Consider the entire admission package. Does it include health insurance? Is tuition paid for or waived? What fees are you responsible for? Episode 28 cover all these topics and more.

3. Check to see how your offer stacks up. There aren’t a lot of resources, but you can get a general idea from sites like PhDStipends.com.

4. Make sure it’s the right program for you. Where do graduates go and what do they do? Can the program prepare you for the career you want today? Make sure you understand the higher education landscape and listen to Episode 19 if you don’t.

5. Finally, don’t forget about the April 15 Resolution. Listen to the very first episode of Grad-post for a more complete description, but basically you have until April 15 to accept an offer of financial support if it comes with your admission. Don’t let a program pressure you into making a decision on a fellowship or assistantship offer before then!

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/dQxUamCyZ0b

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/7e0pp31yZ0b 

https://www.phdstipends.com/ 

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/VpgodpCyZ0b 

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/r8MRQ3CyZ0b

 Updates on NSF GRFP, IELTS, F1s, H1-Bs, and other assorted alphabet soup for March, 2026. 

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/W0hYNvm0c1b

https://www.science.org/content/article/nsf-s-flagship-fellowship-program-rejecting-applicants-without-peer-review

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/3h5N32tFg1b

https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vQqfWzbaFew6wbBo5N5OGJOhLq5KGFfLmrd2UNDhE5r3HWNe_6L6eHzGwZ7emXqyn78tv4TvvDK9hY4/pub

https://www-chronicle-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/article/iran-war-live-updates-satellite-campuses-hunker-down-as-conflict-expands 

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/JIaZfuafi1b

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/n7quZmafi1b

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/fyGudBpHg1b

https://www.highereddive.com/news/trump-expands-travel-bans-and-restrictions-to-39-countries/808185/

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/0Cxzumafi1b

https://ielts.org/news-and-insights/updates-to-ielts-test-delivery

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/JT4YrigHg1b

Dr. Treviene Harris of the American Council of Learned Societies  explains how their Doctoral Futures program aims to improve doctoral  education in the humanities. 

https://www.acls.org/treviene-harris/

https://www.acls.org/doctoral-futures/ 

https://www.acls.org/fellowships-grants/

https://www.historians.org/

https://www.mla.org/ 

https://www.sbl-site.org/

https://medium.com/doctoral-futures-perspectives/the-future-of-doctoral-education-what-70-voices-told-us-about-fixing-the-phd-3711f9e021c1

The Graddean goes off on proposed changes to the Higher Education Act by  the Department of Education and federal funding requirements to  universities and colleges by the General Accounting Office that will  change how institutions are accredited and how graduate programs are  funded. 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/reforming-accreditation-to-strengthen-higher-education/

https://www.ed.gov/media/document/2026-aim-neg-reg-summary-and-discussion-of-initial-draft-regulations-113620.pdf

https://cphe.org/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/college-accreditation-louisiana-could-soon-150300356.html

https://www.regulations.gov/document/GSA-GSA-2026-0001-0001/comment

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/3Z7X2x2gj2b

https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-26-107757.pdf?utm_source=News+Network+-+2022+Revised+Edition&utm_campaign=0c778054c3-News+Network+April+8+202609%2F4%2F26+11%3A21+AM&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e7f7d868b5-0c778054c3-88993000

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/GYaB0OWfj2b

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/6WLUPNWfj2b

https://news.syr.edu/academic-portfolio-review-update-2/

https://www.highereddive.com/news/indiana-public-colleges-to-cut-or-merge-about-580-programs-due-to-state-law/816540/

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/PBi5ZLWfj2b

Return on Investment (ROI) is a popular way of evaluating the benefit of pursing a master's or doctoral degree. But there are things you should know about how ROI is calculated and used, and what it does and doesn't say about advanced degrees. 

https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31291/w31291.pdf

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/g4kCpXD0x2b

https://www.peer-center.org/research/do-graduate-degrees-pay-off

https://medium.com/never-stop-writing/did-you-know-texas-is-the-best-state-36dd492aeeed

https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/62vuD2D0x2b

https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Foundation_for_Research_on_Equal_Opportunity

https://www.reddit.com/r/MBA/comments/u26w7r/from_mba_to_fortune_500_us_ceo/#:~:text=MBA%20Holder%20Rate:%20While%2043%25%20of%202021,business%20or%20engineering%2C%20and%20some%20have%20JD/PhDs.

https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/cew-graduate_degrees-fr.pdf

https://gradsense.org/cost-and-value/#opportunity_cost

https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/unemployment-earnings-education.htm

https://read.dukeupress.edu/demography/article/53/2/269/167593/Trends-in-Life-Expectancy-and-Lifespan-Variation

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226649339_Priceless_The_Nonpecuniary_Benefits_of_Schooling

https://www.reddit.com/r/LadiesofScience/comments/1fj3ivq/is_getting_a_phd_worth_it/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-foreign-phds-end-up-driving-ubers-li-lin/

https://gradsense.org/by-degree-calculator/